Perishable products, such as packaged foods, have a shelf life which must be ascertained so that stale product is not sold to consumers. The shelf life of such products is commonly imprinted upon the package as the “expiration date” or “freshness date”. Manufacturers, distributors and retailers of perishable products commonly prioritize the shipment, distribution and display of such products based upon the expiration date or freshness date of the product to reduce the amount of expired product which must be discarded.
One example of efforts taken to increase the shelf life of perishable products is flushing of the hermetically sealed packaging with an inert gas, such as nitrogen, to reduce the oxygen concentration within the packaging.
The shelf life of a perishable product can be determined by several methods depending upon the particular product involved (i.e., potato chips v. soft drinks). One of the variables often involved in determining shelf life is the amount of gas in the container.
Currently available instruments for measuring or estimating the amount of gas in a hermetically sealed container are unacceptably inaccurate, prohibitively expensive, difficult to conduct and/or slow.
Accordingly, a need exists for an inexpensive, quick, easy and accurate method and instrument for measuring the gaseous content of a hermetically sealed container.